Means for controlling the operation of gas-retorts.



H. A. CARPENTER &A. w. WARNER. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF GAS RETORTS.

APPLICATION l lLED AUG.6. I914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

S m T N E V N THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTD-LITHD.. WASHINGIDN. D. C

HENRY A. CARPENTER AND ARTHUR W. WARNER, OF SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO RITER-CONLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 015 PITTSBURGH, PENN SYL'V'ANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF GAS-REIORTS.

intense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915.

Application filed August 6, 1914. Serial No. 855,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY A. CARPEN- run and ARTHUR W. WARNER, citizens of the United States, residing at Sewickley, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Controlling the Operation of Gas-Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

Those manipulations of gas making retorts, such as charging and discharging, involving the opening and closing of the retort at its opposite ends, make it necessary not only to place the retort ends in readiness for the operations referred to, but also require that the operating tool be properly positioned for entering the retort.

One object of the present invention is to provide tool actuating means that is operative only when the retort is in readiness to receive the tool, and only after the tool has been placed in proper position to enter the retort. The performance of these pre requisites are accomplished mechanically, and hence a premature operation is mechanically impossible.

A further object is to provide a controlling means located at the charging end of the retort, preferably on the retort charging machine, for governing the movements of the tool, which, however, is not operative until after the tool is in retort entering position, nor until after the closure at the retort discharge has been opened, thus clearing the way for the operation. The controlling means is preferably embodied in a tool motor controlling circuit having nor mally open interruptions, one of which is closed by the discharge closure of the retort when such closure is in open position, and with means actuated by the movements of the tool positioning means for closing the other interruption. Withboth interruptions closed, the circuit is made operative through a manually moved controller which is preferably located at the front of the retort on the retort charging machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a form of apparatus embodying the invention. Fig.

2 is a detail of the circuit closing means as sociated with the retort closure.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a bench and 3 is one of a series of retorts therein. 4 designates the frame of a retort charglng machine which is movable along the front of the bench on track 5. Mounted in any suitable manner on the traveling charglng machine is a carriage 6 for a charging and discharging scoop or other retort tool 7. Carriage 6 may be actuated on track 8 by a threaded shaft 9 which extends through a nut or head 10 on the carriage, shaft 9 being geared at 11 to an electric motor 12. Also geared at 13 to shaft 9 is a screw shaft 14, the rotation of which slides bar 15 relatively to certain circuit terminals as will be presently explained. 16 is the traction motor for the retort charging machine. At the opposite side of the bench 2, 17 indicates gas producers surmounted by track 18 on which moves the producer charging machine 19 which may be propelled by any suitable means, that here shown being an electric motor 20.

The apparatus is preferably embodied in a three-phase electric system having three conductors A, B and O for the retort charging machine which respectively are engaged by the trolleys a, Z) and 0, carried by the latter.

H is a conductor for the tool motor controlling circuit, hereinafter described, and engaging the same is trolley it carried by the producer charging machine.

A double or reversing solenoid operated switch 25 directs the current to the tool actuating motor 12, the forward movement being controlled by solenoid 26, and the backward movement by solenoid 27. This double solenoid switch is of usual and well known construction. 7

The wiring for motor 12 and switch 25 is as follows: Wire 28 from trolley a leads to switch 25; wire 29 from trolley b to switch 25; and wire 30 from trolley c to motor 12, with a branch 80 to traction motor 16. The circuit for forward solenoid 26 may be traced as follows: One

branch 31 thereof from the solenoid to trolley 7t, conductor H, interruption 66 at the front of bench 2, interruption at the rear of the bench, bridging conductor E to main conductor 13. The other side of the circuit for forward solenoid 26 is through wire 34: to interruption 35 at hand switch Z, wire 34 to interruption 36 at controller Y, contact arm 37, traveling contact 15, contact arm 38, wire 30, trolley 0 to conductor C. Interruption 65 is adapted to be bridged by the circuit closing device 67 carried by the rear end door 3 which is moved into circuit closing position when the door is open, Fig. 2. Interruption 66 is adapted to be bridged by the circuit closing device 68 mounted on the forward eXtermity of the tool carriage 8, the relative positions of interruption 66 and circuit closer 68 being such that they are in register and the interruption bridged only when carriage 8 has been moved by theretort charging machine 4: into position to aline tool 7 with retort 3; Interruption 36 is adapted to be closed by a blade 41 of the pivoted arm 4:2 of controller Y. Blade 41 is held in circuit closing position against the pull of spring 43 by the pivoted latch 46 connected to the core of solenoid 47. Blade Z of switch Z, mounted on the retort charging machine, is normally spring held in the position shown to close interruption 35. From the foregoing, it will be seen that to close the circuit through forward solenoid 26, interruptions 36 and 35 located respectively at controllers Y and Z must be closed, also the door at .the rear end of the retort must be open, and the charging machine must be in position :to aline the tool with the retort. Controller Y is preferably arranged at the front of the'bench, being suitably mounted on the retort charging machine, and with interruptions 35, 65 and 66 closed, the charging machine operator may throw arm 42 of controller Y into its latched position against the pull of spring 43, therebyclosing interruption 36 and causing motor 12 to operate tool 7 in a forward direction, entering the same in the retort. But it will be understood thatthis operation cannot ensue upon the throwing of switch arm 42 unless both of the interruptions 65 and 66have been closed, and hence the tool cannot be advanced if it has not been properly alined with the retort, 'or if the retort door has not been opened; While the forward movement of the tool is thus placed under the control of the charging machine operator so that he may oausethe tool to advance when conditions at the front of the retort are rlght for such operation, he is forestalled from causing such operation,

even though everything is in readiness at the front end, until similar conditions prevail at the rear or discharge end. The circuit for the backward or reversing sole noid 27 extends from one end of thelatter to switch 25, thence by motor circuit wire 29 to trolley b. The line 55 from the opposite end of said solenoid extends to interruption 35 of switch Z, wire 56, contact arm 57, traveling contact bar 15, contact arm 38, and wire 30, to trolley 0. Thus, when arm Z of switch Z is moved to bridge interruption 35', the circuit through solenoid-27 is closed and switch 25 is operated to reverse the motor 12 and withdraw tool 7 from the 7 retort. Solenoid 47 operates to automatically release switch arm 42, permitting it to move to the oosition shown in the drawing, when tool has reached the forward limit of its travel. Tracing the sole noid circuit, onebranch49 thereof extends from one end of solenoid 47 to wire 29, and from thence to trolley I) of conductor B. From the other end of the solenoid, wire 49 extends to the short contact arm 52, and when contact bar 15 is fully lowered or retracted, its position when tool 7 has fully entered the retort, said bar connects arm 52 with contact arm 38, and the circuit is completed through wire 30 to trolley a of'conductor C. IVhen the solenoid is thus energized, latch 46 releases switch arm i2, and the latter is moved by spring 43 to the position shown in the drawing, thereby break- 95 ing the tool motor actuating circuit at interruption 36. The arrangement is preferably such that the circuit for operating traction motor 16 for the retort charging machine is controlled by controller Y in such 100 manner that when arm i2 thereof is latched back for advancingtool 7, motor 16 is deenergized and the charging machine is im-' movable on track '5. The circuit for motor 16 may be readily traced to its trolley contacts through interruptions 58 and '58 at controller'Y, switch arm 42 of the latter bridging these interruptions and closing the traction motor circuit when controller Y is in the'normalpositionshown in the'drawing, at which time thecircuit for motor 12 is inactive. The direction of-travel of the. retort charging machine maybe determined by the reversing switch 61.

I/Vhile'the producer charger 19 and itsop- T erating 'connections for-m no part- -of the present invention, they are conventionally shown,-thetrolley conductors A, B and G therefor being connected-to conductors A, B and C by the bridging wir'esD, 'E and F respectively. The circuits for the traction motor 20 may be readily traced to the trolleys a, Z) and c. 'Thereversingswitch, 62 determines the direction ofrotation of the motor.-

Those features of the apparatus herein disclosed relating to control of the retort tool or other retort manipulating means by the position relatively to the retortzof mov- H able retort cotiperating mechanism, are 18 broadly claimed in applicants copending application, Serial No. 855,412, filed August 6, 1914.

What we claim is 1. In gas generating apparatus, the com bination of a retort adapted to be charged at one end and discharged at its opposite end with a closure for the discharge end, a tool adapted to enter the retort, a tool actuating motor, and a motor controlling circuit having an interruption adapted to be closed when the discharge closure of the retort is in open position.

2. In gas generating apparatus, the combination of a retort adapted to be charged at one end and discharged at its opposite end with a closure for the discharge end, a tool adapted to enter the retort, a tool actuating motor, a controlling circuit for the motor having two interruptionsone adapted to be closed when the discharge closure of the retort is in open position and the other interruption adapted to be closed when the tool isin position for entering the retort.

3. In gas generating apparatus, the combination of a retort adapted to be charged at one end and discharged at its opposite end with a closure for the retort discharge, a tool adapted to enter the retort, a tool actuating motor, means for moving the tool to and from retort entering position, a controlling circuit for the tool motor having two interruptions, means actuated by the retort discharge closure for closing one interruption, and means made operative by the tool moving means when the tool is in retort entering position for closing the other interruption of said circuit.

at. In gas generating apparatus, the combination of a retort adapted to be charged at one end and discharged at its opposite end with a closure for the discharge end, a tool adapted to enter the retort, a tool actuating motor, means for moving the tool to and from retort entering position, a traction motor for the tool moving means, a traction motor circuit, a controlling circuit for the tool motor having an interruption adapted to be closed by the retort discharge closure when in open position, and a controller mounted on the tool moving means and common to the traction motor circuit and the tool motor controlling circuit.

5. In gas generating apparatus, the combination of a retort, a retort-cooperating device and an actuating motor therefor, a controlling circuit for the motor, means for moving said device to and from retort-cooperating position, a traction motor for said device-positioning means, a traction motor circuit, and a controller common to said controlling and traction motor circuits.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. CARPENTER. ARTHUR W. WARNER.

Witnesses:

J. M. NEsBIT, F. E. GAITHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

